Strawberry plant named &#39;NJ08-08-6&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of strawberry plant ( Fragaria×annanassa ), was developed from seed produced by a hand pollinated cross between ‘NJ01-73-3’ and ‘NJ03-232-2’. The new strawberry plant named ‘NJ08-08-6’ is distinguished by its highly vigorous, upright growth habit, high productivity, excellent fruit quality and exquisite flavor.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

NONE

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

NONE

LATIN NAME OF GENUS AND SPECIES OF THE PLANT CLAIMED

Fragaria annanassa

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘NJ08-08-6’

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

A new and distinct cultivar of strawberry named ‘NJ08-08-6’ is a shortday cultivar similar to ‘Chandler’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,262) but it isdistinguished by its elongated petioles, upright plant growth and largefruits, with a uniform red color, shiny in appearance and conical inshape with exceptional flavor. The cultivar is well adapted to highdensity plasti-culture growing systems and has been shown to performwell in the eastern United States. This new variety should be ofcommercial value, particularly for farmers with direct markets, due toits unique growth characteristics and excellent fruit production andflavor.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

This new strawberry genotype was developed from a controlled cross of‘NJ01-73-3’ (unpatented) as the female parent and‘NJ03-232-2’(unpatented) as the male parent. The female parent‘NJ01-73-3’ was chosen for its vigorous growth habit, high productivity,large fruit size and excellent fruit firmness; however, its berrieslacked color and flavor. The male parent ‘NJ03-232-2’ was chosen for theexcellent flavor of its berries; however, it was a plant of moderatevigor and low productivity with small berries. Both parental genotypesare derivatives of many cycles of crosses and selection in the Rutgersbreeding program. Seeds of the cross were germinated in a greenhouse andplanted in the field at the NJAES research farm #3 in New Brunswick,N.J. in 2008. After the first round of selection, the plant wasevaluated for two seasons in small observational plots. The selectedplant designated as ‘NJ08-08-6’, was recognized as the best combinationof parental phenotypes, including high vigor, high productivity, uniformfruit coloring and large flavorful fruit. The ‘NJ08-08-6’ plant was thenasexually propagated for further evaluations 2012 to 2013 inobservational and replicated trials in several locations in New Jersey,one location in North Carolina and one location in Maryland.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

The ‘NJ08-08-6’ plant is primarily adapted to the climate and conditionsof the eastern United States (zones 5b, 6a & b, 7a & b, 8a & b and 9a)where it demonstrates vigorous, upright plant growth, resulting inobservational reductions in strawberry pathogens. It is characterized byits high production of large, uniformly ripened, conical fruit, withexceptionally sweet and aromatic flavors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

FIG. 1 illustrates the characteristics (shape, size and coloring) oftypical ripened fruit from an ‘NJ08-08-6’ plant; and

FIG. 2 illustrates the characteristic upright growth pattern of themature petioles and foliage.

All color references below are measured against The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart (R.H.S. 1996 Ed.). Colors of foliage, fruit,inflorescence and other plant parts may vary from year to year and fromlocation to location depending on horticultural practices, lightconditions, air temperature, soil fertility, etc. CL DETAILED BOTANICALDESCRIPTION

The ‘NJ08-08-6’ plant can be distinguished from other strawberryvarieties by the structure of its foliar growth. In the spring as theleaves arise from the crown of the plant, there is a rapid elongation ofthe petioles causing an elevation of the leaf lobes and an upright modeof growth. The petioles are very sturdy and remain in an uprightposition for most of the growing season. The peduncles, which bear thefruit on the tips of their branches, have a more prostrate growth habit;because of the weight of the fruit, they often lay on the plastic aroundthe crown. This particular morphological structuring on the ‘NJ08-08-6’plant makes the lower parts of the bush more open to air movement makingthe environment less favorable for microorganisms that can cause fruitand leaf diseases.

During the two year observational field evaluations at HorticulturalFarm 3 in New Brunswick, N.J., no pesticides or other protectivemeasures were used. During this time, the plant displayed no visuallydetrimental symptoms of disease on its foliage or fruit.

The most distinctive feature of the ‘NJ08-08-6’ plant is the ripenedfruits. The fruits are an appealing shiny red fruit, with a uniformconical shape. The fruits are only slightly longer than they are widewith a 1.11 length to width ratio. Their red color range is between RHS44C and RHS 45C. They are smooth, solid and firm when handled anddisplay some degree of resistance to fruit rot. The exceptional flavorof the fruit is the most distinguishing characteristic. The sweetnessand aroma of the fruit supersedes the quality found in knowncommercially grown strawberry varieties. During the 2013 seasonstrawberries from the ‘NJ08-08-6’ plants were compared with ‘Chandler’by 20 panelists at one of the research locations. In this survey‘NJJ08-08-6’ rated higher for sweetness, acidity and overall flavorcompared to Chandler.

The time from flowering to fruit ripening (harvest) ranges from 28-34days; which categorizes this genotype as a mid-season variety. Fruitsturn red acropetally, from the fruit calyx toward the tip. Underparticularly warm conditions in the spring, a primary fruit can becomecompletely red in a single day; however, formation of anthogenesis,sugars, aromatics and other quality ingredients require at least 2additional days.

TABLE 1 Flower Characteristics of NJAES strawberry selections andcultivars, North Brunswick, NJ 2013 Characteristic ‘NJ08-08-6’ Chandler‘NJ03-232-2’ Flower color^(x) White White White Flower Head diameter2.90 4.8 3.8 (mm)^(x) Petal Number^(x) 4.85 5.6 5.1 Corolla diameter(mm)^(x) 23.90 26.15 26.50 Calyx diameter (mm)^(x) 17.25 21.15 23.65Sepal Number^(x) 9.65 11.2 10.1 Data taken May 22 to Jun. 15, 2013^(x)Means based on the average of 20 observations.

TABLE 2 Fruit Characteristics of NJAES strawberry selections andcultivars, North Brunswick,NJ 2013 Earliglow (Unpat- ‘NJ08-08-6’Chandler ‘NJ03-232-2’ ented) Fruit Length (mm)^(x) 33.6545 31.04 36.1423.69 Fruit Width (mm)^(x) 27.12 26.41 32.76 22.77 Length/WidthRatio^(x) 1.24 1.18 1.11 1.04 % Soluble Solids 8.28 8.26 8.84 10.49(Brix)^(y) Fruit Density (g)^(x) 167.9 172.6 137.23 128 Average Berry11.29 12.37 11.8 8.59 Weight (g)^(x) Data taken May 17 to Jun. 15, 2013^(x)Means based on the average of 20 observations. ^(y)Means based onthe average of 10 observations.

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of strawberry plant, designated‘NJ08-08-6’ substantially as herein shown and described.